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MAGAZINE
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Chill in the Air
Smaller classes, shorter stints, and slimmer job prospects made it hard for this summer's associates to completely enjoy their time in the sun.
By Susan Hansen
For this year's summer law clerks, 2010 is likely to go down as the year of the even leaner, meaner summer program. Like their predecessors last year, this year's summer class got a stark reminder of the heavy toll the recession has taken on the legal business, as many top law firms continued to cut back the length of their summer programs, from 12 weeks to ten or, in some cases, ten weeks to eight—if they had summer programs at all.
And in 2010, the size of summer classes was also down significantly from last year, as many firms scaled back their recruiting efforts, knowing they’d have far fewer full-time associate jobs to fill. On the bright side, firms were generally better able than they were last year to assure the summer clerks they did hire that they would get full-time job offers, provided they did good work. In the end, almost three-quarters of those who answered The American Lawyer’s 2010 Summer Associates Survey said they had either already gotten or expected to get an offer from their firms.
That’s an improvement over 2009, when only about half of the associates surveyed were expected to receive full-time offers. Yet this year's numbers are still down sharply from 2006, when 87 percent of those surveyed said they expected a job offer—and when nearly all but the most lackadaisical summer associates were almost guaranteed to get offers.
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Some law schools are trying to close the gap between their students' idealized vision of what a lawyer's life is like and the reality of how that life will ultimately play out.
By Dimitra Kessenides
Lost in the Shuffle
The results of this year's Minority Experience Study offer more evidence that the recession is hitting some lawyers-especially African American and Asian American associates–harder than others.
By Susan Hansen
Challenging a Student Lender Head-on
Even lawyers, it turns out, can get tripped up by the fine print.
By Victor Li
Shining a Light on Law School Employment Data
A new nonprofit aims to find out what becomes of graduates after they leave school.
By Tom Huddleston Jr.
Apprentice: Big Law Edition
Clients watch closely as a trio of firms tries a new approach to bringing associates into the fold.
By Karen Sloan
Study: Don't Sweat Your School's Status
It's the grades you get, not where you get them, that shapes a career.
By Terry Baynes
Hiring Partner Confidential
Advice to job seekers: Don't be afraid to be feisty during the interview, but do avoid ordering top-shelf liquor at lunch.
By Vivia Chen
